Ice machine



Sept.'19, 1950 R. D. VAN VLECK 2,522,651

- ICE MACHINE Filed April 19, 1946 I s Sheets-Sheet 1 u I 54 i O O o as o 3 38- ATTOIGNEY.

Sept. 19, 1950 R. D. VAN VLECK ICE MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 19, 1946 I N V EN TOR. 1908527 D. fi/v Tie-cw,

AMM ATTORNEY.

D. VAN VLECK ICE MACHINE Sept. 19, 1950 s She et s-Sheet s v Filed April 19, 1946 INVENTOR.

05527 .0. %N Viscz,

ATTOQK/EY.

Patented Sept. 19, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 15 Claims.

This invention has to do with anice machine and it is a general object of the invention to provide a machine for conveniently and economically producing ice in small bodies or quantities such, for instance, as in cubes such as are used in the household or in restaurants or thelike, or crushed for domestic use or the like.

The machinewhich isthe subject of my present application is of the general type set forth and claimed in my co-pending application entitled Ice Cube Machine Serial No. 583,884, filed March 21, 1945, now patent No. 2,466,831 dated April 12, 1949.

A general object of. my present invention is to. provide various improvements in a. machine of the character mentioned and, more particularly, improvements in the manner of handling the receptacles in which the ice is formed.

A further object of my presentinvention is to provide avmachine of the general character men-- tioned involving an improved, dependable operating means or system whereby the receptacles are accurately, dependably coordinated with the supply of water and with the ejecting means by which the ice is ejected from the receptacles after being formed therein.

Another object Of the invention is to provide a simple, effective and improved control system whereby the various elements of the machine are coordinated so that they all work in proper synchronism and the machine is rendered simple and convenient to operate. The. machine that I have provided may be operated under control of a simple. switch such. as a push button and it operates through a complete cycle with the various parts functioning in proper synchronism upon the button being merely pushed and then released.

The various objects and features of my. invention will be fully understood from the following detailed description of a typical preferred form and application of the invention, throughout which description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is front view of the machine that I have provided, showing the upper portion broken away to appear in section, which. section shows the general arrangement. and. relationship of the various important parts. Fig. 2' is aplan section taken as indicated by line 22 on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is. an enlarged vertical sectional view of a part of the machine. at the forward portion thereof, being a view takenin. the direction indicated by line 33 on. Fig. I. Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of one of the receptacles in which the ice is formed. Fig. 5 is a detailed sectional view of a portion of the machine taken in the direction indicated by line 55 on Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the control cam involved in' the electrical control system showing the relationship of the cam and the selector switches that are operated thereby. Fig. '7 is a plan sectional view taken substantially as indicated by line 1-1 on Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a detailed sectional View taken substantially as indicated by line B-3 on Fig; '7, and Fig. 9 i a wiring diagram showing a typical embodiment of the control system that I have provided.

The machine of the present invention maybe embodied in or applied to various constructions; it being preferred to incorporate it in a case'- or cabinet so that it is a complete operative unit rendered fully operative by connection with asupply of water and a supply of electrical energy; In the drawings I have illustrated the preferred form of the invention and have shown the machine as a complete, independent unit of the'type just referred to, it being understood that I do not wish to thereby limit or restrict the broader principles. of the invention.

The machine as shown in the drawings, in" volves, generally, a case A, means B for refrigerating a freezer compartment in the case A, a plurality of receptacles C in which ice isformed', a carriage D supporting the receptacles, control means E for the receptacles operable to reverse their position from an upright liquid receiving position to an inverted discharging position, supply means F for the receptacles operable'to supply given quantities of water to the receptacles, ejector means G operable to eject ice from the receptacles when they are inverted, drive means H for the carriage D, a crusher J operable to crush ice delivered from. the receptacles and an electrical control system the elements and details of which will be more fully understood from the following detailed description.

The case A may vary widely in size, shape and proportion, it being preferred that it be of simple, compactform. and design, for. example,,I prefera'bly make it a simple box-like structure involving, generally, a top It, a bottom ll, sides i2; a front I3, and a back M; In the particular case illustrated the back M is detachable from the other parts, making the interior of the structure. readily accessible. I provide. partitions in the; case dividing it into a, plurality of compartments, and I prefer that the partitions be horizontally disposed. so that the compartments are one above. the other. In. the case illustrated I provide two horizontally disposed vertically spaced partitions l5 and I6 which divide the case into an upper compartment X, a middle compartment Y and a lower compartment Z. The compartments 'X and Z house working parts of the mechanism as will be seen from the drawings while the middle compartment Y is a freezing compartment and is, therefore, lined with suitable insulation IT.

The means provided for refrigerating the freezer compartment Y may be any suitable refrigerating mechanism. In the case illustrated I show a motor driven refrigerating or heat dissipating means in the compartment Z. The means may be a refrigerant liquifying unit involving an electric motor I 8 which operates a compressor unit 49 and other necessary elements such as a condenser and the like. When I refer to a refrigerant liquifying unit I mean to include any suitable type of refrigerating mechanism. The refrigerant is handled by a coil suitably disposed in the freezing compartment Y. The motor iii of the means B is connected in the electrical control system to be regulated by a thermostatic control Zl so that the temperature in compartment Y is maintained in the manner desired.

The receptacles C are cup-like elements supported by the carrier D so that they are carried through or in the compartment Y between a position where they are upright and receive a supply of water from the means F and a position Where they are inverted and the ice formed in them is ejected. In the form of the invention illustrated the carrier D is a disc-like element or a rotary member mounted on a vertical axle 22 and in this case the receptacles C are arranged at the periphery of the carrier where they are pivotally supported for movement between upright and inverted positions.

Each individual receptacle C involves a cup 24 having a closed bottom 25 and an open top. The inner wall 26 of the cup is tapered so that the cup is somewhat larger at its top than at its bottom. Each cup is pivotally supported at the rim or periphery of the carrier by a pair of spaced supporting bracket arms 2! which project from the carrier to receive and rotatably support pivot pins 28 which project from opposite sides of the cup so that the cup is supported on an axis laterally offset from the vertical axis of the cup causing the cup to normally remain in an upright position where it is supported by the marginal portion 29 of the carrier.

The carriage may involve a round plate 30 carrying the bracket arms and mounted for rotation on the vertical axle 22 in a position so that the cups are supported in the freezer compartment Y in the manner shown throughout the drawings. The axle 22 is arranged to extend between and to be supported by the partitions I5 and 16 of the case A.

The control means E for the receptacles C serves to tilt them from the upright position to an inverted position and thereafter tilt them back or return them to the upright position. The control means is preferably a cam means involving a deflecting cam 32 fixed at a suitable point in the freezer compartment Y and a return cam 33 likewise fixed in the compartment Y, but at a point circumferentially spaced around the carrier from the cam 32. The deflecting cam 32 engages the inner side walls of the receptacles at a point above the pivotal axis of the receptacles so that as the carrier is turned on the axle 22 the receptacles are gradually tilted until they fall by gravity to an inverted position. The construction includes a stop or rest 34 which operates to support the receptacles in the inverted position, it being preferred to provide stop shoulders 35 on the receptacles to cooperate with the rest in the manner clearly illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. When the cups have been inverted by the cam 32 they ride along on the support 34 in an inverted position until they reach the return cam 33 which engages them and turns them about their pivotal axis until they are upright or return to the vertical position shown in Fig. 4.

The cams and rest above described can be fixed in the compartment Y in any suitable manner. In the case illustrated the deflecting cam 32 is supporting by bracket arms 36 which are attached to partition I5 while the cam 33 and rest 34 are supported from the partition [6 by bracket arms 31 and 38, respectively.

The supply means F for the receptacles C operates to deliver given or predetermined quantities of water to the receptacles after they have been righted or returned to an upright position following the ejection of ice therefrom, and at a time when the receptacles are in a predetermined position in the compartment Y. The supply means as shown in the drawings involves, generally, a supply pipe 40 conducting water into the apparatus and a pressure regulator 4| which operates to deliver water at a constant pressure to a pipe 40 which connects to a control valve 42. An outlet pipe 43 extends from the valve 42 to a delivery spout 44 in the compartment Y. The pressure regulator and valve 42 are preferably located in the compartment X and the valve 42 is preferably an electrically operated valve, that is, a valve operated by an electromagnet 45.

The delivery spout 44 opens downwardly in the compartment Y at a fixed point therein and each receptacle after being returned to its upright position is moved into alignment with the spout 44 through the action of the mechanism as will be hereinafter described.

The ejecting means G is operable to eject ice from the receptacles when they are inverted and operates to eject ice from the receptacles one at a time upon their being moved into a predetermined position in the compartment Y. The means G includes, generally, a false bottom 46 in the bottom of each receptacle which false bottom is carried by a stem 41 slidably carried by an opening 48 in the bottom of the receptacle. A head 49 is provided on the outer end of each stem and a compression spring 50 is arranged between the head and the bottom of the receptacle so that the false bottom 46 is normally held down or is urged toward the bottom 25. A sealing ring 5! is preferably provided between the false bottom 46 and the bottom 25. The means G further provides a single hammer member 52 mounted to reciprocate and located at a predetermined position in the compartment Y. The hammer is attached to an armature 55 of a solenoid 54 and a spring 56 is provided to normally yieldingly hold the unit formed by the hammer and armature in an up position as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. A stop 56' is provided to limit upward movement of this unit. When the coil 54' of the solenoid 54 is energized the armature is moved down and the hammer is correspondingly moved down so that it strikes the head 49 carried by the receptacle which is beneath the hammer and, as a result, the false bottom 46 is moved downward and ice in the receptacle can be ejected therefrom.

The ice discharged or ejected by the means G passes through a funnel-shaped opening. 60, in the partition IG-so that it passes from compartment Y into compartment Z where it is conducted by pipefil into a catch basin 62 where it will remain until removed for use. A shiftable deflector 63 is provided in the pipe 5! to direct the, bodies of ice laterally from the pipe through a side opening 64 so that the ice is deflected into the catch basin 62. A deflector 65 is provided atthe partition l-B which closes the opening at thereby preventing the escape of heat into the compartment Y. A spring 65 normally holds the dcflector S5 in a closed position.

The. drive means H for the carriage D is an important feature of my invention and involves, generally, a motor 66 which supplies thenecessary energy, a drive shaft 87 adapted to be turned intermittently, a ratchet drive from the motor to the shaft and a drive from the shaft to the carriage. The motor 66 may be an ordinary electric motor designed to operate the ratchet drive through a suitable speed reduction unit iii. The shaft 67 is vertically disposed and is laterally removed from the axle of the carriage. The ratchet drive from the motor to the shaft 67 involves a crank. arm H which rotates 360 for each operation of the machine, and a ratchet arm it carried by the crank and carrying a pin it which cooperates with teeth 75 of a ratchet wheel it fixed on the shaft 61. The end portion of the arm 12 that carries the pin. M is yoked to straddle the ratchet wheel it. and a suitable spring ii is provided to, normally yieldingly urge the pin M inward so that it properly cooperates with the periphery of the ratchet wheel. In the particular case illustrated I show four ratchet teeth '55 on the ratchet wheel l6 and the arm i2 is moved so that the ratchet wheel is advanced 99 each time the crank arm ll is moved one revolution.

The drive from the shaft 6i to the carriage is preferably a substantially rig-id drive and may include a chain 83 driven by a sprocket 8! on the shaft 61 and engaged around. a sprocket 81 at the periphery of the carriage. Through the drive just described the shaft 5i is accurately turned only one quarter of a turn for each operation of the crank arm ii and there may be some overtravel of the crank arm without causing over-actuation of the shaft. The drive or gearing between the shaft iii and the carriage is such that eachtime the shaft 51] is moved through 90 the carriage is rotated so that it is advanced one receptacle or, in other words, so that it is moved an amount equal to the distance between adjacent receptacles on its periphery.

The crusher J is preferably a motor driven rotary crusher involving a pair of revolving crusher elements 82 mounted in a suitable housing 83 which has an inlet opening 84 registering with pipes 6i and a spent 85 registering with a pivoted catcher 86. The opening 3:3 is located below the pivoted deflector 53 so that normally ice delivered as above described goes into the catch basin 62 but when the part 63 is swung or pivoted forward the ice drops straight through the pipe 5! and passes through the opening 84 to be engaged. by the crushing members 82 which effectively reduce it to crushed ice. The catcher 36 is normally in an in position, as shown in Fig. 3 where it receives the crushed ice, but it can be swung forward or in the direction, indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3 so that it is accessible, making it possible to conveniently remove the crushed ice. The motor that drives the members 82 may be a simple electric motor 87 connected 6; inthe. electrical circuit. under control of aswitch 88..

The electrical control system that I have provided coordinatesthevarious elements above described so that they operate in the proper sequence of synchronism. The control as shown in the. diagram (Fig. 9) involves first a main control switch lliii which, controls the entire apparatus. A switch means S is provided for initiating operation of the apparatus and this means includes, generally, a relay switch Iii! under control of, a manually operable switch such, as a button type switch m2. or the like. The control further includes three selector switches which. I will refer to as a motor switch 5%, an ejector switch 105 and a supply switch. I 05. The switches I04, I05 and 1% are under control of a single cam l0? operated by the shaft fil The cam is preferably mounted directly on the shaft 61 to be turned each time the mechanism is operated, as is the shaft 67!. In this case the cam may be a square cam asshown in the drawings.

The. ejector switch its controls the winding or coil 54 ofthe means G andv the switch H15 which, in practice, may be a micro-switch, is related to the cam ill! so that when the mechanism is at rest one point of the cam closes the switch IE5 thus completing the circuit through the coil 54 so that as soon as switch S is actuated or closed the circuit through the coil 54' is closed through the switch Hi5 causingthe ejector to be operated and ice to be discharged from the receptacle in register with the ejector.

The motor switch 1M acts with a self-energizing relay ilfi and a safety switch iii in controllin the motor 66-. The switch we is normally closed and it is related to the cam ill? to be momentarily opened thereby as the cam reaches or immediately before the cam reaches its positionof rest indicated in Fig. 9. When the switch I04 is closed the self-energizing relay remains closed and the circuit to the motor 56 remains closed. The safety switch Hi connected in the circuit to the motor 56 is under control of the ejector and is open when the ejector is in operation. The relationship of the parts is such that when the switch S is closed the ejector operates immediately as above described and the relay [(38 is closed and is energized to remain closed but the motor 56 is not immediately set in operation because the ejector is operating and the switch I! I is open. As soon as the ejector has com pleted its operation and the switch Hi is closed the motor 56 is energized and operates to turn the crank arm H through one turn causing the shaft 6! to be rotated through 90. Through the latter part of this movement of the shaft, the cam Hi'l moves past or through a position where it momentarily opens switch lite and momentarily closes switch I06. Momentary opening of switch 194 releases the relay Mil thus opening the circuit to motor 65. Momentum of the moving parts is. enough or such as to cause the cam Hill to move beyond the point where it has opened switch. Hit and. closed switch 1%.

The closing ofv the supply switch W5 causes energization of. a time delay relay H2 which controls the electromagnet 415 that operates valve 42 and simultaneously disconnects the switch S so that. the receptacles cannot be moved during operation of. the means F. The time delay relay E E2. upon being energized opens the valve and by reason of the time delay factor holds it open a predetermined length of time with the result that a predetermined amount of water passes through the valve 42 to be delivered to the receptacle Zlhich is at that time in register with the spout The electrical circuit that I have provided further includes a thermostatically controlled heater I20 at the spout 44 within the freezing compartment Y. The heater element I20 serves to heat the spout to prevent it from freezing up and the thermostatic element I22 regulates the action of the heater.

Having described only a typical preferred form and application of my invention, I do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specific details herein set forth, but wish to reserve to myself any variations or modifications that may appear to those skilled in the art and fall within the scope of the following claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. Apparatus of the character described includ ing, a, case having a freezing chamber, a round. carriage rotatably supported in the chamber on a vertical axle, a plurality of receptacles pivotally carried by the peripheral portion of the carriage, means operating the receptacles between upright and inverted positions, means for supplying Water to the receptacles, means for ejecting ice from the receptacles, and refrigerating means including a refrigerant liquefying unit remote from the chamber and a cooling coil in the chamber refrigerating the entire chamber.

2. Apparatus of the character described including, a case having a freezing chamber, a round carriage rotatably supported in the chamber on a vertical axle, a plurality of receptacles pivotally carried by the peripheral portion of the carriage, cam means operating the receptacles between upright and inverted positions, means for supplying water to the receptacles, means for ejecting ice from the receptacles, and refrigerating means including a refrigerant liquefying unit remote from the chamber and a cooling coil in the chamber refrigerating the entire chamber.

3. Apparatus of the character described including, a case having a freezing chamber, a round carriage rotatably supported in the chamber on a vertical axle, a plurality of receptacles pivotally carried by the peripheral portion of the carriage, means operating the receptacles between upright and inverted positions, means supporting the receptacles in the inverted position, means for supplying water to the receptacles, means for ejecting ice from the receptacles, and refrigerating means including a refrigerant liquefying unit remote from the chamber and a cooling coil in the chamber refrigerating the entire chamber.

4. Apparatus of the character described including, a case having a freezing chamber, a round carriage rotatably supported in the chamber on a vertical axle, a plurality of receptacles carried by the peripheral portion of the carriage, means for supplying water to the receptacles, means ejecting ice from the receptacles including an electromagnetic ctuator, and refrigerating means including a refrigerant liquefying unit remote from the chamber and a COOllIlg coil in the chamber refrigerating the entire chamber.

5. Apparatus of the character described including, a case having a freezing chamber, a round carriage rotatably supported in the chamber on a vertical axle, a plurality of receptacles carried by the peripheral portion of the carriage, electrically controlled means for supplying water to the receptacles, electromagnetic means for ejecting ice from the receptacles, a control circuit including a control switch and synchronizing the action of the water supply means and the ejecting means, and refrigerant liquefying means including a refrigerating unit remote from the chamber and a cooling coil in the chamber refrigerating the entire chamber.

6. Apparatus of the character described including, a case having a freezing chamber, a round carriage rotatably supported in the chamber on a vertical axle, an electric drive intermittently operating the carriage, a, plurality of receptacles carried by the peripheral portion of the carriage, electrically controlled means for supplying water to the receptacles, electromagnetic means for ejecting ice from the receptacles, a control circuit including a control switch for synchronizing the action of the drive, the water supply means and the ejecting means, and refrigerating means including a refrigerant liquefying unit remote from the chamber and a cooling coil in the chamber refrigerating the entire chamber.

'7. Apparatus of the character described including, a case having a freezing chamber, round carriage rotatably supported in the chamber on a vertical axle, a plurality of receptacles pivotally carried by the peripheral portion of the carriage, cam means operating the receptacles be-e tween upright and inverted positions, means for supplying water to the receptacles, means for ejecting ice from the receptacles, and refrigerating means including a refrigerant liquefying unit remote from the chamber and a cooling coil in the chamber refrigerating the entire chamber, the cam means including a stationary tilting cam deflecting the receptacles from upright positions as the carriage operates and a stationary return cam spaced from the deflecting cam returning the receptacles to upright positions after they have passed the tilting cam.

8. Apparatus of the character described including, a case having a freezing chamber, a round carriage rotatably supported in the chamber on a. vertical axle, a plurality of receptacles carried by the peripheral portion of the carriage, means for supplying water to the receptacles, means for ejecting ice from the receptacles, and refrigerating means including a refrigerant liquefying unit remote from the chamber and a cooling coil in the chamber refrigerating the entire chamber, the means for ejecting ice from the receptacles including false bottoms in the receptacles, stems on the bottoms and a striker operable to drive the stems down upon the receptacles being moved into position under the striker.

9. Apparatus of the character described includ-: ing, a case having a, freezing chamber, round carriage rotatably supported in the chamber on a vertical axle, an electric drive intermittently operating the carriage, a plurality of receptacles carried by the peripheral portion of the carriage, electically controlled means for supplying water to the receptacle, electromagnetic means for ejecting ice from the receptacles, a control means including a control switch and synchronizing the action of the drive, the water supply means and the ejecting means, and refrigerating means including a refrigerant liquefying unit remote from the chamber and a cooling coil in the chamber refrigerating the entire chamber, the control means including a switch for the water supply means, a switch for the ejecting means and a switch for the drive and a single cam operating the three last named switches.

10. Apparatus of the character described including, a casing having a freezing chamber occupying a portion thereof, thermal insulation sur rounding the freezing chamber, a round carriage rotatably supported in the chamber on a vertical axle, a drive intermittently operating the carriage and including, a motor driven crank, and a ratchet drive between the crank and carriage, a plurality of receptacles carried by the peripheral portion of the carriage, means supplying water to the receptacles, means for ejecting ice from the receptacles, and refrigerating means including a refrigerating unit Within the case remote from the chamber and a cooling coil in the chamber refrigerating the entire chamber.

11. Apparatus of the character described including, a case having a freezing chamber, a round carriage rotatably supported in the chamber on a vertical axle, a drive intermittently operating the carriage and including, a motor driven crank, and a ratchet drive between the crank and shaft, a plurality of receptacles carried by the peripheral portion of the carriage, electrically controlled means for supplying water to the receptacles, electromagnetic means for ejecting ice from the receptacles, a control means including a control switch for synchronizing the action of the drive, the water supply means and the ejecting means, and refrigerating means including a refrigerant liquefying unit remote from the chamber and a cooling coil in the chamber refrigerating the entire chamber, the control means including a switch for the water supply means, a switch for the ejecting means and a switch for the drive and a single cam operating the three last named switches, the cam being operated by the ratchet drive.

12. Apparatus of the character described including, a case having a freezing chamber occupying a portion thereof, thermal insulation surrounding the freezing chamber, a round carriage rotatably supported in the chamber on a vertical axle, a drive intermittently operating the carriage and including, a motor driven crank, a shaft extending into the chamber, a speed reducing drive within the chamber connecting the shaft to the carriage, and a ratchet drive outside of the chamber connecting the crank to the shaft, a plurality of receptacles carried by the peripheral portion of the carriage, means for supplying water to the receptacles, means for ejecting ice from the receptacles; and refrigerating means including a refrigerant liquefying unit remote from the chamber and a cooling coil in the chamber refrigerating the entire chamber.

13. Apparatus of the character described including, a case having a freezing chamber, a round carriage rotatably supported in the chamber on a vertical axle, a plurality of receptacles carried by the peripheral portion of the carriage, electrically controlled means for supplying water to the receptacles, electromagnetic means for ejecting ice from the receptacles, a control circuit including a control switch for synchronizing the action of the water supply means and the ejecting means, and refrigerating means including a refrigerant liquefying unit remote from the chamber and a cooling coil in the chamber refrigerating the entire chamber, the water supply means including an electrically operated valve and a time delay means controlling operation of the valve.

14. Apparatus of the character described including, a case having a freezing chamber, a round carriage rotatably supported in the chamber on a vertical axle, a plurality of receptacles carried by the peripheral portion of the carriage, electrically controlled means for supplying water to the receptacles, electromagnetic means for ejecting ice from the receptacles, a control circuit including a control switch for synchronizing the action of the water supply means and the ejecting means, and refrigerating means including a refrigerant liquefying unit remote from the chamber and a cooling coil in the chamber refrigerating the entire chamber, the water supply means including an electrically operated valve and a safety switch controlling the valve and controlled by the ejecting means.

15. Apparatus of the character described including, a case having a freezing chamber, a round carriage rotatably supported in the chamber on a vertical axle, a plurality of receptacles carried by the peripheral portion of the carriage, electrically controlled means for supplying water to the receptacles, electromagnetic means for ejecting ice from the receptacles, a control circuit including a control switch for synchronizing the action of the water supply means and the ejecting means, and refrigerating means include ing a refrigerant liquefying unit remote from the chamber and a cooling coil in the chamber re frigerating the entire chamber, the water supply means including an electrically operated valve, a safety switch, and a time delay means controlling operation of the valve, the safety switch being controlled by the ejector means.

ROBERT D. VAN VLECK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STA'IE'S PATENTS Number Name Date 1,664,850 Carney Apr. 3, 1928 2,026,227 Foraker Dec. 31, 1935 2,058,077 Greenwald Oct. 20, 1936 2,259,920 Baer Oct. 21, 1941 2,431,916 Caesar Dec. 2, 1947 

